meet OUR FOUNDER
Maria Lambides is the Founding Director of Alpha Phronesis and a strategist with over 30 years of entrepreneurial, academic, and advisory experience. She has launched and grown several consultancies focused on strategy, marketing, government grants, technology and innovation, as well a membership-based small business/entrepreneurial network with over 25,000 members.
Over the past 20 years, Maria has also played a pivotal role in university research environments, leading the growth and strategic direction of a research institute specialising on choice behaviour and decision making. She has worked closely with high-profile academics and research teams to foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and applied impact - building professional infrastructures that go beyond traditional university support.
Her ability to translate complex analytical academic theory into real-world application has led to global collaborations with organisations such as the World Bank, Motorola, Anheuser Busch, LendLease and Bose Corporation, as well as numerous government departments. She has witnessed first hand the power of innovative thinking and research when applied to business and policy decisions. In addition, she maintains her own research interests in strategy, competitive positioning, and stakeholder alignment.
In recent years, Maria has taken time to reflect deeply on the breadth of her lived experience - spanning the entrepreneurial, academic, and personal - and how the insights gained through both success and challenge might now serve others in a more intentional, human-centred way. This gave rise to Strategic Growth Mentoring - a one-to-one offering designed to support purpose-driven individuals with clarity, perspective, and practical wisdom. This mentoring complements her ongoing work with universities and industry, offering a calm, trusted space for leaders navigating complexity and growth.
Maria’s rare combination of entrepreneurial acumen, research translation expertise, and human-centred leadership allows her to bring out the best in others - whether in large-scale systems or one-to-one conversations.